Profile: The KulchaBox Store, Berlin, Germany
I scheduled a full week in Berlin, where I reported on the Kombucha Summit over the weekend. That gave me plenty of time to connect with local brewers. This is the first of a series of Profiles from the trip.
Origins
In 2014, Julian embarked on a trip to India where he discovered kombucha. As soon as he returned, it was clear to him: he has to make that product more popular in Germany and people should know more about its positive effects on our health. Julian has been developing the KulchaBox products with love and dedication since 2020. In 2021 Anja joined him and they both created the KulchaBox Store where in addition to their own products, created in the brewery at the back of the store, you’ll also find a lot of other exciting, sustainable, innovative and social brands.
Sustainability
They are proud of being part of the growing trend towards “more conscious” consumption, where many consumers consider criteria such as sustainability, fair trade, etc. when making their purchasing decisions. One consequence of this development is the long-lasting trend towards organic products and towards regional or local products, with which consumers, in addition to short (environmentally friendly) transport routes, often also get high product quality and a “emotional connection” (tradition, homeland, craft etc.). Their target group of customers also want innovative, fair and healthy products that have another function or effect in addition to refreshment.
Kombucha, Gin, and more…
In addition to the various flavors of kombucha–made with Guayusa Tea–that are brewed in the back room, the store has a cornucopia of eclectic, locally sourced products. Among them:
- Roots Radicals – Handcrafted zero-waste Berlin foods
- OEL/Thalassa – Greek olive oil
- Knalle Popcorn – Gourmet treats
- Glutenfreie Heimat – Gluten free breads
- Pleta Geschirr – Fair Trade dishes made in Nepal
- Twisted Nut – Small batch roasted nut spreads
- Bien Honig – Natural honey
- Angelique’s Finest – Strong coffee from strong women!
- Crazy Bastard Sauce – Berlin’s award-winning hot sauce
- Rettergut – Foods from top quality left overs
- Karmakollektiv – Organic teas and coffees
- Just Nosh – Vegan and gluten-free snacks
- Spree Gin/ Grote Spirits – Organic Berlin spirits (also blended with their kombucha! See below.)
- LQR Company/ Cuate – Jamaican Rum
- Duschbrocken – Hand pressed shampoo
- Treu Refill – Organic conditioners
- Devia Cosmetics – Vegan and fair trade natural cosmetics from Hamburg
- lipfein – Natural lip balm
- Dentafari – Premium tooth care
- 4peoplewhocare – Natural cosmetics
- StayInAKite – Upcycles clothes and bags made from kits and surf sails.
Uniquely, they sell a variety of their kombucha blended with gin.
It’s a match made in Berlin. The first kombucha long drink in a bottle. The refreshing notes of Spree Gin pair perfectly with our Magucha Kombucha Butterfly. Lean back and enjoy this light kombucha long drink.
.33L sells for €6,50. Prost!
Podcast
To hear Julian and Anja describing KulchaBox in their own words listen to the podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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Germany’s largest English-language publication, The Berliner, profiled Kulchabox’s Magucha Kombucha, calling it “Berlin-brewed gut goodness”
Former nightlife pioneer Julian Ronnefeldt is now keeping it cultured with his Magucha Kombucha.
Germany is a country obsessed with home remedies and prescribing Teetrinken for every ailment – no matter how big or small. So you’d think kombucha would be an easy sell here, but, as beverage brewer Julian Ronnefeldt explains, the German public has needed some convincing.
“There is a culture of fermentation here, but often when people try it they say, ‘This tastes like gherkin water!” Ronnefeldt, who started his own Berlin-based kombucha brand in 2020, has made it his mission to prove them wrong, perfecting recipes that balance sweet and sour to create the ultimate grown-up soft drink.
Magucha Kombucha’s offerings bring bold, modern flavours to traditional fermentation, as seen in flavours such as their butterfly pea and guayusa tea kombucha. Today, stocked in over 20 locations across Germany and featured in Food Innovators’ Rising Star Report, it’s safe to say Ronnefeldt is proving his skeptics wrong.
But before he was up to his neck in scobies, Ronnefeldt was handling a different kind of culture. As the co-founder of legendary nightlife venue Loophole, he was a key part of the city’s underground party scene until the late nights left him “physically exhausted”. Needing a break, in 2014 he headed to India, where he first tasted kombucha. “It totally repaired me,” Ronnefeldt says.
Now his Neukölln store, KulchaBox, is piled high with bright purple bottles, deep yellow turmeric shots and jars of black garlic. All their products are proudly made in Berlin, with no additives, artificial flavours or pasteurisation. High-quality organic ingredients are a must-have for Ronnefeldt, as he’s a staunch advocate for the healing power – be it gut support or liver repair – of his products.
It’s this ethos that has inspired him to turn KulchaBox into what he calls a “progressive food store”. In mid-March, his shop will start stocking vegan and vegetarian products from a range of local producers. With plans for pickling workshops, dinner clubs and in-store concerts, he hopes KulchaBox will become “a place where people come in and participate, rather than just buy”. In the meantime, his door is still open for you to pick up a bottle of fresh Magucha – just don’t mention gherkins.